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Erick Parker, Hapless Bartender
Erick Parker, Hapless Bartender (Max Friedlich), age 27 You were never happy, really. You were born the son of a man who was killed by the Emperor, Aaron, and you were raised mostly by your mother, Rose (Valentine Monfuega). She loves to tell stories of the old days to the local children, but those stories only remind you of the things you never had a chance to experience. You are the owner and operator of the local watering hole, the Lonely Crow. You found your wife, Jenna (Shelby Strauss) back when you were, if not happy, then at least less cynical. At the time, you didn't fully understand what you had lost. The marriage was arranged by your mother and her father. She used to live in the next town over, Feriadoch. You don't know much about her family. She's part of yours now, that's all that matters. She seems to have bonded with your mother, which is good. It's hard for a new person to make friends in this town. Your bitterness can be partially traced to an event in your past that has shaped much of your future. Your wife was dying. You knew, but she didn't. You were alerted by your mother, who is very knowledgable in the ways of healing (at least, more than anyone else in town). She said that there was something growing inside of her that would choke the life out of her. You didn't know what to do. Then you thought of the stories that your mother always told, stories about magic and wishes and true love. You remembered something in the stories about bargains and deals: that with the Fay, they were binding, and that they had great power. You had heard that not all the Fay had died in the Devastation. You set out to find a faery, and, as is the way with these things, you did. You were introduced to one who called himself Secundus (Mike Grant), and he said that he could heal your wife, for a price. The price was half of her remaining natural lifetime, and free use of the back room of the Lonely Crow as a place of business. You reasoned that it would be better to have her for even a short time more than to lose her now. You asked if anyone needed to know about this arrangement. He said that no one needed to know, and he would make sure that it didn't get out. And for a day and a night, you were satisfied with this arrangement. When you awoke, your wife told you that she had had dreams about a man during the night, a man with cold eyes and gentle hands. She had danced with him, endlessly. And she thought she hadn't slept well, because she was tired. When she tried to tell Grandma Rose about it, she somehow couldn't. The next night, she had the same dreams. And the next night. And the next. You and her soon realized that they weren't dreams at all. Secundus was taking her in the night, and dancing with her in the cold moonlight that streamed through the bar windows. That was the half of her life that he had chosen to take. She has not gotten a full night's sleep in years, now. She has trouble focusing and thinking straight. She can still work in the bar, but you put her on the morning shift. Her listless attitude unnerves the heavy drinkers, your main clientele. On multiple occasions, you have gotten frustrated with her almost to the point of shaking her, when it seemed like she was deliberately not understanding something. Of course, you know that it's due to lack of sleep, but that doesn't always make things easier to deal with. You haven't told her about your arrangement with Secundus, but you have been feeling guilty. You've found that you couldn't tell anyone else, even if you tried, but you instinctively know that you could tell her. You're looking for something to get you out of this, something that will help you get out of a Fay bargain. Your hopes are not high, but they never were, really. Category:Factory Town Characters Category:Characters Category:Factory Town